


Do You Choose Me, Too?

by GabzJones



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Ice Adolescence (Yuri!!! on Ice), Young Victor Nikiforov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-11 23:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17456042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabzJones/pseuds/GabzJones
Summary: The story of how a young Victor Nikiforov convinced a scared little poodle to choose him.Written for the Ice Speculation Zine





	Do You Choose Me, Too?

**Author's Note:**

> It's time! I'm so excited to finally be able to share this and it's come at a really good time for me since I've been so silent with posting stuff. Exams have stopped me writing, and even when I have been writing, I've been writing stuff that isn't allowed to be posted yet, so I'm sorry for the silence on my end. But now I can finally share this fic with you guys!

Victor took slow steps as he moved along the walkway, eyes darting back and forth from cage to cage. When his parents told him they had a surprise in store for his twelfth birthday, this wasn’t what he’d expected. Each cage was large enough for the dogs inside to comfortably make themselves at home, along with the possibility for a person to join them. He could barely hear anything above all the barking, dozens of dogs calling for attention, wanting to be the lucky chosen one, and Victor wished he could take them all home. He wanted to give them all somewhere to stay. But, his parents had told him he was only to choose one, so he had to take his time and make sure he chose wisely.

He was nearing the end of the walkway, continuing his careful check of each cage, looking in and smiling bright and warm at every dog he saw. They were all cute, all wonderful in their own way, but none had made him want to stop more than any of the others. Not until he reached one of the last cages. He stopped, frowning as he noticed that the dog within wasn’t barking. In fact, it wasn’t even at the front of the cage. The small poodle was towards the back, laying in a dog bed and eyeing Victor curiously. For the first time since he’d started looking through them all, Victor felt an intense need to stay.

Victor knelt down, heart shaped smile on display as he watched the dog, “Hey there. I’m Victor,” he tilted his head to the side, reaching a few fingers through the cage, “You okay…?”

The poodle sniffed at the air, tongue lolled to the side as she hesitantly moved closer. Her uncertainty was obvious. Victor stayed still, watching her curiously, trying to figure out why this dog was so shy compared to all the others. Despite his patience, she never reached Victor, stopping at the centre of her small home, and settling herself on the ground.

Victor looked up at his parents, “Can I meet her?”

It was obvious that his parents weren’t sure about it. This dog was so much quieter than the others, no doubt she’d be more work, but Victor just wanted to meet her, to get a little closer to her and see why she was so quiet and shy. Victor looked up at them, smile bright, eyes wide, the same look he always gave when he desperately wanted something. This was meant to be a gift, a puppy as a congratulations. Next year, he’d be starting his first season as a competitive skater, and this was the one he wanted to meet.

Sighing softly, his mother ran a hand through Victor’s long silver hair, “Alright, just let me talk to one of the staff, okay?”

It didn’t take long. Apparently, they were just as excited as Victor was. The little puppy within the cage had been difficult for them to find a home for, most owners preferring dogs with more life to them, but Victor knew that wasn’t her problem. Not at all. He knew that she had plenty of life. She just needed someone to help her open up. Victor was up for any challenge.

As the cage opened, Victor stepped inside, watching as she shifted back towards her bed in the corner. Victor hummed happily, letting them close the door behind him and sitting down, his back against the wall of the cage. He needed to be patient. He knew he did. Victor wasn’t very good at patience, though.

Victor brushed his hair over one shoulder, dragging his fingers gently through it as he started talking, “Mama told me I could have any dog I wanted, but I want a dog that wants me, too,” he didn’t look up from his hair, focusing on untangling any knots, “If you don’t want me, that’s okay. But you’re really cute, and I promise I’d take real good care of you.”

Looking up, Victor saw the little poodle moving closer to him, but she quickly stopped the moment she realised she was being watched. Victor’s smile never faltered as he looked back at his hair, carefully braiding a small section together as he continued to talk: “Sometimes, I don’t want to talk to anyone. I just want to be alone. But then I get lonely.” He frowned, his hands going still in his hair. He’d been skating seriously since he was seven, focusing on being the best he could be. Even before then, he spent his time on the ice. Sometimes it felt better to just stop thinking about it. “Maybe it would be okay to be alone… but with someone else.”

Victor kept his focus on his hair, picking out another section and beginning a new braid as he went through his mind, trying to find the right things to say. As it turned out, trying to get a little poodle to trust you was surprisingly therapeutic. “The world’s scary. Is that why you hide? We’re both really small and the world’s so big. I get scared, too. Everyone’s been working really hard to teach me. My first competition’s next year and I don’t wanna let any of them down,” he frowned as he stared at his fingers tangled in waves of silver, “I don’t know what’ll happen if I don’t win.”

Victor had been skating ever since he could walk. The ice had quickly become his home, somewhere he felt truly comfortable. When he was told he could keep doing it, that he could train and dance on the ice and bring people that same joy he felt when he was out there, it made sense. But Victor was young, and as his first competition approached, his nerves were beginning to surface. Of course, he’d been surrounded by people who loved him, who supported him and were constantly telling him how proud they were, but that wasn’t enough. Victor wanted gold. He wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Maybe he was putting too much pressure on himself.

Victor still wasn’t old enough. He wouldn’t qualify for competitions until the next year. Maybe that’s what it was. That word. Competition. Skating had never held quite so much weight before that word was brought into things, weighing Victor down with all the doubts and fears that came from being a child desperate to please the people around him, to impress them, to prove that he was good enough. Though Victor knew he’d be happy just to say he did his best, he wanted gold. He wanted to be the best. The pressure was on, but Victor knew it was all coming from himself.

Congratulations. That’s what his parents had said this whole endeavour was for. A pet puppy to congratulate him for all his hard work, for making it this far at such a young age. To Victor, it was so much more than that. Whichever puppy he chose was going to be his friend, his family. Victor would shower them with affection and lean on them when competitions weighed too heavily on his mind. He wasn’t just choosing a dog. He was choosing a companion for the foreseeable future.

Looking up, Victor noticed the small poodle had shifted across the room, sniffing tentatively at his ankle. Despite the caution in her every action, her tail was thumping back and forth excitedly. Victor knew this was the dog he wanted. None of the others could measure up to her. Victor just needed to convince her that she’d be happy with him. How did people normally do that?

He was hesitant at first, afraid he would startle the pooch and all the progress he’d made would be for nothing. Victor reached out his hand, holding it out in offering for her to sniff, trying to prove that he wasn’t dangerous. The gap between them hadn’t quite been closed yet. Victor wanted her to make the choice. He’d already chosen her among all the other dogs in the place. It was her turn to decide. Sure enough, she was tentatively moving closer, nose sniffling at Victor’s fingers. He giggled softly as her wet nose tickled at his skin. She was so small, so sweet. He only hoped he could teach her not to be so afraid.

Living life in fear was no fun. Victor had his fair share of fears. He was afraid of not being enough, afraid of letting people down, afraid of losing. All of those things were life, though. They were bound to happen, and he had to accept that. Victor thought maybe he could accept that if he had someone at his side despite his shortcomings. His breath caught as he felt a tiny warm tongue lick his finger. Looking into soft brown eyes, Victor grinned as her tongue lolled to the side of her mouth. She was adorable. Victor was smitten.

It was clear that it would take time to get this little dog to come out of her shell, more time than he had with her. If he wanted to be able to take her home, to win her over, he’d have to take a risk. Opening his arms, Victor watched her curiously, offering the pup a smile, “If you let me, I promise I’ll make sure you’re never scared again. You can have all the treats you want, and I’ll let you sleep on my bed.”

Maybe bribery wasn’t the best way to win her over. Victor certainly didn’t want a relationship built on something so meaningless, but he was desperate and he was sure he’d be able to take good care of her and bring her out of her shell if he just had more time with her. The thought of anyone else taking this puppy home instead of him was simply heartbreaking. No, she was Victor’s. It was as simple as that.

She took a few tentative steps closer, sniffing at the air. Though her movements were slow and careful, her tail betrayed her emotions, wagging rapidly in her eagerness. She wanted to choose Victor. He was sure she did. She was just afraid, and he knew that feeling all too well. But Victor knew that if they had each other’s backs, they’d never be afraid again. They just had to take that first step. The little puppy would be the best friend Victor could ever ask for, he just knew it. Maybe it was childish hope, but Victor wouldn’t let that hope go for anything.

It took a little more time, but finally,  _ finally _ she closed the distance between them, her little paws padding closer and closer until she was seated between Victor’s legs, looking up at him and swiping her tongue against his cheek. Victor giggled, carefully moving a hand through her curly fur. His breath caught. “You’re so soft!”

Victor’s excitement was bubbling inside him as the little puppy sat close, letting him pet her. He hadn’t realised quite how much he wanted this; to be able to get close to her and maybe befriend the adorable poodle. Yes, this was definitely the right decision. The little poodle yapped softly, showering Victor’s face with licks, her paws resting against his chest to get a better angle. Victor’s giggles filled the air and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Looking back, he saw his parents on the other side of the cage, watching on with fond smiles. Victor grinned. “What’s her name?”

“That’s for you to decide.”

Looking back at the little puppy in his arms, Victor ran through words in his mind, trying to come up with something that fit the little poodle in front of him, “M…Mah…” he frowned, trying to decide what sound would come next, what would fit the little dog in front of him. Maybe a harder sound next, “Makka. Makkachin. Yeah,” he smiled, gently tapping her nose with his finger and chuckling as she let out a little sneeze, “her name’s Makkachin.”

**Author's Note:**

> I also wrote a short drabble for the Doodle Zine addon for this project, but I felt like it was a little small to post on AO3, so you can find it [here](https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/440005)


End file.
